A Change in the Wind
by The-GREAT-TurtleKING
Summary: The branch in Claire's head wasn't pulled out completely the night she was found...leaving everyone wondering where she was and what happened to her. Leading to a completely different story.
1. chapter 1

1.

The branch in Claire's head wasn't pulled out completely the night she was found...leaving everyone wondering where she was and what happened to her. Leading to a completely different story.

"Claire; breakfast! Would you please tell your daughter to get her fanny out of bed?" Claire's mother asked her husband.

"Claire drag your fanny out of bed!" Noah called up the stairs and proceeded to make his way to the kitchen for a quick meal before work.

Another two minutes passed in the house with still no glimpse of the cheerleader; leading Mrs. Bennet to march up the stairs and to knock loudly on the door.

"Claire, I'm coming in there!" She entered, only to find her daughter's bed was empty and made. The woman frowned and went back down the stairs.

"Did you get on to her" Lyle asked eagerly.

"Lyle," His father reprimanded him and looked to his wife. Who could only shake her head in confusion. "I think she left early."

"Why would you say that?" Noah asked.

"Well, her beds made and her school bag's gone...'SO' obviously she isn't here."

Strange enough, the three family members didn't dwell on those thoughts for very long and chalked it up to Claire being responsible about school.

That night, when Noah Bennet entered his house, he was surprised to find two police officers talking to his wife in the living room.

"Honey, what's going on?" He asked.

His wife turned to him, "I got a call from the school-Claire wasn't there today and...she never came home afterwards..." She turned back to the officers in front of her.

"Now," began one of the men. "you said she went to the Bonfire last night?"

"Yes."

"Is there anyone who you can name who she would have talked to there."

"Probably the whole football and cheerleading teams." She said, burying her face in Mr. Muggles fur.

"Anything you would like to add," The officer turned to Mr. Bennet.

Noah nodded, "Claire would have talked to Jackie and that Quarterback the most...outside of them...her only other friend is this kid Zach...but I don't see him going anywhere like that..."

The officers nodded and made their way out by themselves.

As soon as they were gone, Noah hurried up the stairs to Claire's room. Where he started to look through her things, he ignored the presence of his wife when she finally came up.

"I already checked..there's no sign that I saw she would have left with anybody...there isn't even any sign she kept anything in here she didn't want us to see." The woman laughed. "Either she is very smart or we just have the perfect law-abiding daughter." She said as she sat on Claire's bed next to her husband.

"I'd go with the first one, as much as I hate to say it." Noah said as he place one arm around his wife and touched her shoulder. The woman laughed, giving one last glimpse around the room before she led her husband back down to the living room.

The next morning, the Bennet household was filled with nothing but silence. So much silence that even Mr. Muggles kept his barking to a level zero.

Teresa tried to keep herself occupied by doing random chores around the kitchen. Noah just went off to work without a word to everyone else. While Lyle just sat in the living room watching cartoons with the dog.

It wasn't until noon that day, when a police car drove up to the Bennet's house and two police officers, one male and one female, got out and rang the doorbell.

Lyle was the closest, he got up without a word and went to answer the door. Upon seeing the grim looking faces of the officers in front of him, he immediately called for his mother.

It didn't take long for her to rush to the front door,

"Did you find her? Where is she?" She asked desperately.

The officer looked down ashamed, as if he was the cause of the teenage girl's disappearance.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but...a body of a teenage girl was pulled out of Red River Creek as 4 am yesterday morning, we weren't informed of it until today...we need you or your husband to come in to identify the body." The male officer spoke.

What was surprising was how fast the woman had her purse ready, and how she approached the topic.

"The faster I identify the body, the faster I can tell you it's not Claire and that she is anywhere else but in a morgue right?" She pushed past them and went to her car, there weren't that many crimes committed near them so she already knew where she had to go.

Lyle just stayed behind, waited for the officer to overcome their disbelief then leave, and went back to watching television with Mr. Muggles.

He could hold his breath for now; he could keep from crying. Everyone could...they were just afraid of what would happen when they started.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Noah sat in his office at Prima Tech, trying to ignore the ringing of his phone. The first time, he simply tuned it out, the second time he simply flipped it to vibrate, but it was around the fourth or fifth time that urged him to actually answer it.

"Hello," He spoke into the phone.

"Dad, you need to come home right now!" Lyle begged into the phone.

Noah stood up in alarm, "Lyle, what's happened?"

"Mom just got back - she locked herself in her room and won't come out." He said.

"Got back from where?" Noah questioned his son.

"The police..." The teen paused. "No...I'll tell you when you get home...just come home right now." The phone beeped and Noah was left with just silence.

Hurriedly, he informed a colleague of his reason of absence and left the building. He tried to stay in the speed limit, but the anxiety the man felt somehow kept his foot pressed hard into the gas pedal.

As soon as he was in the door he asked, "Where is she now."

"Still upstairs," Lyle responded.

Noah took his son by the shoulders then, and leaned down to speak only in whispers. "Tell me now, what happened?"

Lyle swallowed, "The po-...the police found a body...they wanted mom to come identify it...she left as if she was only supposed to tell them it wasn't Claire's...and when she got back..." Lyle's voice trailed off.

Noah sped up the stairs and too the room where he and his wife shared. This time, it was empty with the door wide open. He went room to room and finally found her in Claire's. His wife was sitting on the floor of the bedroom with her back to the end of Claire's bed, holding one of the many medals her daughter had earned over the years.

Noah came to sit beside his wife, "Was it?" He didn't dare specify his question.

All Teresa did was nod, "Yes..."

"Do they know what happened." Noah looked as if he could cry.

His wife could only whimper, "They found her naked...in a creek, she..she had a branch i- in her head...they - they... they said she was a victim of homicide...someone did this...someone did this to our baby." Teresa sobbed.

All Noah could do then was stare, and then he pulled his wife into a hug. The woman could only bury her face into her husband's chest as she screamed her pain that only came out as a muffled sound because of the arm she had tucked her face into.

Lyle finally came upstairs then, he looked at his parent's as his father sat there trying to comfort his wife. He went back out of the room, leaned onto the hallway wall, and slid down to the ground. Burying his own face into the crook of his elbows as he held his knees to his chest. It was the only way he could really hold himself together.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

3.

"A great shock of grief has hit Odessa, Texas." The reporter spoke, "At 4 am yesterday morning - the body 16 year old Claire Bennet was found naked in Red River Creek. "

The news channel showed a picture of Claire in her cheerleading uniform, "The police have already ruled out a possible drowning. Claire was last seen the night before her body found, at a bonfire where her and her friends had been celebrating a win for their high school football team."

This time a picture of the school's athletics teams were shown.

"The Odessa police department asks that if you have any information that could lead us to the killer any faster, please call or come take a statement."

The news cut off and switched to some commercial about kitchen knives.

"It's impossible," Zach said. "It isn't possible."

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

4.

The following Monday at the school, wasn't easy for anyone there. The student's knew what happened, the staff knew, and the reporters who stood outside almost constantly, knew it too.

Claire Bennet was gone.

Jackie was a mess; Zach was no better.

Somehow in this situation, all sides of the popularity levels were affected.

Zach stood at his locker, watching as Claire's mother walked up to what used to be her daughter's. The woman looked like a ghost as she quietly stored her daughter's things away into a box the staff had gave her, and allowed Jackie to lead her to the cheerleaders locker room where her daughter's other locker was.

Zach looked down, holding his camera he put it on mute and pressed play on the video.

So many jumps, so many broken bones and blood loss.

'It's not possible,' Zach thought to himself, 'None of it is possible.'

Hardly anyone noticed the disappearance of one other student, Lori Trammel. Who skipped school that day to go to the police station.

Finally, she told her parent's what had happened to her and they were more than desperate to let her go and tell the police what she knew.

Lori waited outside in the lobby, she fidgeted around in her seat nervously until the female officer came to escort her to the interrogation room.

Lori watched enough crime shows to know where she was supposed to sit, facing the glass that everyone knew was made so people could watch you.

"So you think you know who killed Claire?" The woman asked.

Lori nodded, "I think it's better that I start from the beginning." She said. "Last March, I went to a party with some of my friends." She hesitated. "It was at one of the football player's houses and everyone there was drinking...soon enough, I was dizzy from drinking...and I got approached by one of the athletes..Brody Mitchell..." She looked away. "He said he'd help me upstairs so I could sleep off some of the alcohol..." Lori visibly shivered. "He- he locked the door...I didn't realize it...and when I layed down, he got on top of me...and-"

"That's enough, just answer a few questions for me okay." The officer said and Lori nodded.

"How old were you then?"

Lori thought for only a second, "15...I only just turned 16 this past June."

"How old do you think Brody is?"

Lori had to think for a few minutes, "We're two years apart in age...about this time...I think he might be-still seventeen..."

The officer nodded this time, "Now tell me why you think Brody's the one who did this."

Lori closed her eyes, "He was flirting with her at the Bonfire last night. Then, he led her away from everyone else...I think...he might have tried to do to her what he did to me...but maybe she fought him off...or...I don't know...just...if there is a chance I am right about Brody Mitchell then don't you want to follow up on it."

The officer watched as the teenager's eyes filled with tears. The woman leaned in to speak in barely a whisper to the young girl, "If what you're saying is true - and Brody did kill Claire, you do know you'll have to testify in front of a jury?"

Lori nodded frantically, "I should have told everyone when it happened to me, if I did...then maybe Claire wouldn't be-"

The officer nodded, "You shouldn't blame yourself Lori...it wasn't you who caused this."

Later that day, Brody Mitchell was pulled from class and he and his parents went to the station.

"This is ridiculous, why is my son here?" Mr. Mitchell asked.

"A witness came forward, apparently your boy was seen walking away from the bonfire the night of Claire's murder. We asked around and got the same basic information from the other students."

"So what, I didn't kill her." Brody said.

"That may be true, or you may be lying." The woman said. "I need to know what happened between you and Claire..."

"We made out." Brody admitted. "Then she just left."

"Just left?" The officers eyebrows were raised. "Where'd she go."

"I don't know - home...maybe she went off with that Zach kid..."

"Zach wasn't at the bonfire and he has an alibi." The male officer said.

"What more do you want from me?" Brody asked.

"Well...apparently, from a few statements we took from females in your school...you have a history for ignoring it when girls say no. After we heard from the first one, girls just started pooling in about how you either tried or you succeeded in forcing them."

"Forcing them!" Brody said outraged. "All those girls want is attention, you can't rape the willing and I did not kill Claire Bennet!"

"Then explain to me, what happened."

"Nothing."

The woman then pulled out a folder she had been holding the entire time. Laying each picture down on the table in front of the teen and his father.

"A couple cheerleaders took pictures, trying to commemorate their high school years I guess." She pointed down to one picture to where Brody and Claire were talking by the fire.

"This here." she points to another picture. "Shows you walking away with Claire." She looked at the boy. "We actually sent out a search team, they looked around and found two red cups that we know had alcohol in them."

Brody's father could only look at his son as the woman spoke. "Now we've already found one to have Claire's saliva on it. If we can just get a sample of your DNA, how likely do you think it is that it will be yours?"

"What does all this prove?" Brody asked. "I already admitted that we went off together, I already told you that we made out, and I definitely told you that she left."

"What it proves, is that you were not five feet from the very spot that Claire was killed. Her blood- was found all over the ground. We analyzed the ground, and found signs of a struggle."

"Brody," Mr. Mitchell spoke gruffly. "Did you kill that girl?"

"No- I. I didn't kill anyone." Brody denied. "Wh-what do you want me to say? We made out that's it, and the blood - maybe she came back on her own...maybe she met up with someone else! Just maybe, someone else pushed her head into that branch!"

The interrogation room was silent.

"What?" Brody asked.

The officer sighed. "I am really glad you said that."

"What?" Brody's father wondered.

She sighed again, "The thing about a branch being what killed her. It was never released to the public, the only ones to know about it are the ones involved in the case and her family..and of course...the one who killed her."

Brody could only stare.

"Brody Mitchell you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you..."

The trial flowed through, the Bennet family all stood to watch as Lorie and the rest of the girls told the Jury what they knew...it didn't take long for Brody to admit what he did.

On the day of Claire's funeral, everything was black and white. Nobody could do anything outside of cry or express condolences. Nobody could stand to talk about what had put her there.

Noah couldn't believe it himself. His daughter was dead. His daughter, the invincible girl.

He had seen the body...somehow she hadn't survived this accident.

The only person there who wouldn't let himself admit the death of the teenage girl was Zach. He went to the funeral, but he couldn't bring himself to stay long and left early.

He knew Claire couldn't be dead, it just wasn't impossible. Nobody would believe him however, because the idea of a girl healing at an accelerated rate the way Claire did, was just as impossible to everyone else.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

6.

All Zach and Lori could do was watch in fascination as the man who had practically appeared from thin air, started to "work" his way into the wound in Claire's head.

Zach who had seen Claire's powers in all their glory wasn't as fazed as Lori who had nothing but desperate belief for the Bennet girl to really be alive.

The man, Gabriel, had first used some type of motion with his hand to literally carve off pieces of Claire's head. Thus, leaving the brain of the semi-dead girl exposed to the barn occupants.

After a few minutes of literally staring and feeling around Claire's brain, he had actually started to remove the remaining branch pieces that had been lodged in far to deep.

'It won't be long now.' Zach thought to himself. 'Claire, please wake up.'

For the second time that night, Zach and Lori jumped out of their own skins. When Claire's eyes had suddenly shot open all Zach could do besides back away in surprise was smile.

He was right!

Gabriel quickly pieced back the pieces of Claire's skull and waited for her to finally rise up from the table her body had been placed on.

"Claire!" Lori shouted as she hugged the blonde girl.

"Hey...Lori" Claire said as she looked at Zach in a strange way.

All of a sudden the reality of the situation came flooding back to him.

"Claire..." He looked away. "We...need to talk..."

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

6.

All Zach and Lori could do was watch in fascination as the man who had practically appeared from thin air, started to "work" his way into the wound in Claire's head.

Zach who had seen Claire's powers in all their glory wasn't as fazed as Lori who had nothing but desperate belief for the Bennet girl to really be alive.

The man, Gabriel, had first used some type of motion with his hand to literally carve off pieces of Claire's head. Thus, leaving the brain of the semi-dead girl exposed to the barn occupants.

After a few minutes of literally staring and feeling around Claire's brain, he had actually started to remove the remaining branch pieces that had been lodged in far to deep.

'It won't be long now.' Zach thought to himself. 'Claire, please wake up.'

For the second time that night, Zach and Lori jumped out of their own skins. When Claire's eyes had suddenly shot open all Zach could do besides back away in surprise was smile.

He was right!

Gabriel quickly pieced back the pieces of Claire's skull and waited for her to finally rise up from the table her body had been placed on.

"Claire!" Lori shouted as she hugged the blonde girl.

"Hey...Lori" Claire said as she looked at Zach in a strange way.

All of a sudden the reality of the situation came flooding back to him.

"Claire..." He looked away. "We...need to talk..."

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

7.

Gabriel watched in silence as the two teens tried to slowly deliver the news.

"So...everyone thinks I'm...dead?" Claire said, breathing deeply.

"Yeah..." Zach nodded.

"So..what now?" Claire asked. "I mean...I can't just go home and say 'Hey dad look who's not dead, watch what I can do when I stick a steel rod through my neck!' What am I supposed to do now?"

Zach sighed, for those few weeks Claire had been presumed dead, he had thought time and time again about what would happen when he finally woke her up. Now he had to face the music and try and figure a way around the entire situation.

"I-" He had tried to answer but was interrupted by the other male in the room.

"You could come with me."

Claire finally turned around then, "Who are you?" She asked.

"Gabriel." Was all he said.

"It's so cool Claire, he has a power too!" Zach remarked.

Claire's eyes widened and she looked to the older man expectantly.

Gabriel smiled and raised his hand to force a few single pieces of hay to float around the barn.

The teenage girl looked around the room in amazement as she poked at the floating objects. Quickly, she turned back to the other two teens. "How'd you guys find him?"

"Um..we didn't." Zach told her. "Actually...how did you even find us like this?"

Gabriel took a moment to answer, "I-. I collect the gifts of other people with powers. I got wind of a rumor of a girl who went into a burning train and came out woundless. Thought it was that Jackie girl...sorry kid but I listened to your conversation with her...and now I'm here."

Claire didn't really know the specifics of why Zach would even try to talk to Jackie, but she figured Gabriel wasn't all that bad. After all, he did just save her from death.

"I don't exactly know who you are..." Claire said.

"That's okay, I was just laying an option down for you." Gabriel said.

"...but.." Claire started again. "I don't really have anywhere else to go...and...it's not like you or anyone else can really hurt me..."

Gabriel nodded.

It didn't take long for Claire and Gabriel to be ready to leave together, the only thing Claire needed was a change of clothes out of Lori's closet because her funeral dress wasn't exactly camouflage.

Zach handed Claire her cellphone which nobody else could find. "If your parents try to get rid of any of your stuff...I'll find a way to get it to you." He whispered to her.

Claire mouthed a thank you as she hugged Lori and went along with Gabriel.

The two walked together to the bus stop where Gabriel bought two tickets and they only had to wait for fifthteen minutes before one showed up.

Claire boarded the bus and sat in the very back with the hood to her sweater up, just in the case the bus driver was someone she knew.

When she finally took a glance at the ticket Gabriel had wordlessly purchased for her.

Gabriel had already explained how long it would take to get to where he really lived.

'New York.' She thought. 'First time for everything.'

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

8.

Claire rubbed her eyes as Gabriel nudged her awake. Finally, after such a long ride they had arrived in New York.

When she asked the strange man where they would be going first, he told her he had a business to check up on and that he was in the middle of moving apartments.

The two of them unloaded the bus and headed out to Gabriel's new apartment.

...


End file.
